


Learning By Heart

by dawninthemtn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Implied hea, Lots of Stormpilot, Past Poe/Zorii, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Sprinkling of Gingerrose, lawyer ben, teacher rey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25532518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dawninthemtn/pseuds/dawninthemtn
Summary: "So this is kind of awkward," said the handsome, extremely uncomfortable-looking man standing in her third grade classroom, "but my friend's son is in your class and swears that we have matching soulmarks."
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 146
Kudos: 906





	Learning By Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to HarrietVane for all her help and reybencyera, whose fic gave me the idea for this premise in the first place. (Read it [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25123498))

It was the last half hour before lunch, one of the hardest periods of the day. Rey’s room of third graders was restless and antsy, and she saw more than one of the children gaze longingly at the clock.

She didn’t blame them.

Her own stomach growled as she tried to refocus her kids’ attention on the division problem she was demonstrating on the chalkboard. Normally she tried to avoid doing math right before they ate, but there had been an assembly that morning that had thrown off her whole schedule.

She heard a rustling behind her, and didn’t have to look to guess who was behind the interruption.

“BB!” she called out, whipping around just in time to see her most boisterous student tossing a paper airplane.

The class tittered as she snatched the haphazardly folded worksheet from the air and smoothed it out, setting it neatly back on his desk.

“That’s an odd way to try to turn in your homework,” she said calmly, handing him his pencil, “but it’s not complete. If I were you, I’d give it another go so I won’t be forced to give you zero credit.”

BB grinned sheepishly as the class laughed.

“Miss Niima, when’s lunchtime?” whined a student from the back.

“Look at the clock,” she responded automatically. “So, back to our problem. If I have twelve apples, and there are four people who want them, how many does each person get? Who can tell me the equation we need?”

One of the boys raised his hand immediately. 

“Yes, Mason?”

“I picked apples last fall,” he said proudly.

“That’s fun,” she said. “You didn’t answer my question, though, but we can use your story. How many did you pick?”

“Lots.”

“Ok.” She had only been a teacher for three years, but that had been plenty of time to develop patience. “So, let’s pretend you had picked twelve apples, and there were four people in your family, how many would everyone get?”

“They were green ones,” said Mason proudly. “That’s my favorite.”

“Ooh, yummy,” said Rey. “Does anyone know…”

Her voice trailed off as the room exploded into a raucous debate over the best apple flavors. She knew that she could potentially turn this discussion into a math problem, dividing the class and tallying responses, but with so little time left before the lunch bell, it wasn’t worth the effort. She sighed heavily, accepted defeat, and took her seat by a large colorful carpet, waving the students to come sit in their storytime spot.

Excited by the change of pace, the students filled in the space quickly, BB wrestling his neighbor until Rey gave him the Stern Teacher Eye.

Rey pulled out the novel they had been chipping away at for a couple weeks and removed the bookmark. She had barely begun reading when she got interrupted by one of her students.

“Is Kira going to meet her soulmate in this chapter?” asked Chloe.

Rey tried not to roll her eyes. “Do you want her to?”

At least ten little girls nodded eagerly.

“This story is about Kira’s journey to become a Jedi,” said Rey. “It’s not about her finding a soulmate.” She turned back to read when she was interrupted again.

“When do we learn about soulmarks in school?” asked another girl.

“Fifth grade,” said Rey, feeling grateful for the fact. “So, here we are.” She turned on her reading voice. “Kira manned the controls as the Falcon descended over Takodana, displaying a vast green forest, unlike anything she had ever seen bef-” 

“Have you met your soulmate, Ms. Niima?” asked a student, interrupting Rey mid-sentence.

Rey put the bookmark back in their spot and set down the book, before eyeing her students seriously.

“First of all, we don’t speak without raising our hands, especially not during reading time,” she told the class.. “Second, it’s not polite to ask grown-ups about their soulmates or soulmarks.”

“But have you?” piped in another, ignoring her.

“What does your soulmark look like?”

“Can we see it?”

“Where is it?”

If she had thought that apple flavors had created a stir, it was nothing compared to this.

Other teachers sometimes commiserated in the lounge about students’ overexcitement about soulmates and their ceaseless annoying, invasive questions, but Rey had somehow managed to avoid it up until now. Usually her third graders still thought the opposite sex had cooties.

For the majority of her fellow teachers, though, it was easy to bat off students’ questions. Yes, they had met their soulmate. Yes, the mark had vanished, so no, they couldn’t show it. Moving on.

Rey bit her lip. She looked longingly at the clock, which still indicated ten minutes before they could go in for lunch.

“Bottoms on the floor,” she instructed. All the kids plopped down, but their eyes were still wide and interested.

“You’re  _ Miss _ Niima,” said one of the students. He turned to the rest of the class. “That means she hasn’t met her soulmate.”

“It means I’m not married,” she corrected him. “Plenty of soulmates aren’t married.”

“Is it true that your soulmark disappears?”

“Yes, when your soulmate touches it.” She said it quickly, hoping they wouldn’t ask any follow-up questions.

“Will we get one?”

“When you’re older.” She wasn’t about to break into a discussion on puberty.

“Can we pleeeease see yours?”

They were back to that. Twenty-five pairs of pleading eyes stared at her. Another look at the clock. Eight minutes to lunch.

She clapped her hands. “Tell you what. If I show you my soulmark, will you sit quietly while I read the chapter?”

They nodded in unison. 

“Okay.” Her tank top and loose cardigan combination made it easy to slip off a shoulder and display the black mark on the top of her arm.

The students murmured their appreciation of the combination of ancient symbols before Rey set her clothes right and dove into their story.

\--

“My kids were in rare form before we came here,” complained Rey through bites of her sandwich. “I couldn’t teach them anything.”

“Same, same,” said her friend Rose, one of the other third grade teachers.. “It was that assembly. Got them all riled up. I almost flipped my lid like ten times. I swear, these pregnancy hormones make my fuse  _ this short. _ ” She held her thumb and index finger a centimeter apart.

“Hey.” Rey set down her sandwich and spoke seriously. “How old were you when you started getting interested in soulmates?”

Rose looked thoughtful. “I don’t know, maybe ten-ish?” When Rey didn’t respond, she asked, “Why?”

“Oh, my students were suddenly obsessed with the idea just now. It was all they wanted to talk about.”

“Did they ask about yours?” Rose’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

Rey groaned. “Yes. I hate this thing. You’re so lucky you’re matched.”

“I miss mine,” said Rose airily. “It made me look like a badass.”

“So get a tattoo. And make Armitage get a matching one.”

Rose burst out laughing. “Can you imagine Arms with a tattoo?”

“No.” Rey giggled. “Even though I’ve only met him a couple times, I definitely cannot.”

“Are you on Marked?” asked Rose.

“Of course.” Rey had spent too many hours swiping through thousands of photos of people’s soulmarks on the app, none of them even close enough to hers to bother swiping right. “It’s overwhelming. I feel like I’ll never get through the pictures.”

“Don’t discount the possibility that you’ll meet them in person. That’s how people matched for thousands of years. Arms and I met at a party.”

“Did you see his mark?” Rey asked, realizing she didn’t know Rose’s story.

“Not at first. But I had this feeling, like, I don’t know, I can’t describe. I wanted to leave early, but I felt like I should stay. Then I saw this redheaded guy and felt like I should talk to him, like the universe was leading me to him. It wasn’t until we were close that I started to feel my soulmark burn.”

“I’m starting to think the universe doesn’t care that much about me finding my match.”

“Oh, stop.” Rose waved her hand. “You’re young. You’ve got plenty of time. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Rey said too quickly. 

Rose gave her a sympathetic smile, making Rey’s insides twist.

Rey asked her about her baby’s size, a surefire way to distract Rose from their topic. It worked, but as Rose chatted excitedly about her little rutabaga and possible nursery paint colors and catching her husband pushing their new stroller up and down their kitchen, it made Rey feel worse.

Not that she wanted a baby that minute, but she couldn’t help longing for what Rose and so many others had, the ability to build a life with someone, someone who was meant for her.

She had been alone for so long.

_ I’m fine _ , she told herself sternly,  _ I have a fulfilling job. I have friends. I’ve come a long way. _

Still, she couldn’t shake the desperate, longing feeling that the conversation with her students had brought to the surface.

She smiled at whatever anecdote Rose was telling and made a mental note to swipe through Marked at her next break.

  
  
  


\--

  
  


A month passed where Rey’s students thankfully didn’t ask anything about soulmates or soulmarks. One Friday, Rey wandered back to her classroom after the students had all been picked up. Normally, she’d bail as fast as possible, anxious to get to her weekend. Her weekends may not be exciting, but they were certainly relaxing.

Two days of not controlling a room full of children. Two days of no BB Dameron.

Today, however, she couldn’t figure out why, but she felt compelled to linger and tidy up her classroom. It was almost springtime, so maybe it was time for their President’s Day reports to come down and some cheerful flowers to go in their place. She spent a little while scanning Pinterest for ideas, and then got to work on her bulletin board.

She shook her head when she pulled down BB’s picture of George Washington, complete with fangs and lightsaber. Now that he wasn’t around, she could properly laugh at the creative rendition.

She really did like BB, even if he tried her patience constantly. He was high energy but full of life and imagination, the kind of kid who would go on to do great things with a little extra attention and love. 

Kids like that had made her go into teaching in the first place.

But it didn’t mean they were easy.

She was carefully putting each student’s drawings into their files behind her desk when she felt the presence of someone in her classroom door. Crouched behind her desk, she couldn’t see who it was, but she figured she had been working so long the custodian had come.

She looked up so she could wave him in, but nearly fell backwards on her heels when she saw who was there.

It was  _ definitely  _ not the custodian.

Not even close.

In the doorway stood a man so tall and broad he barely fit in the opening. She dropped into a lower crouched position so she could take him in, bottom to top. Expensive leather shoes led to a dark suit that was tailored to fit his large frame perfectly. Her eyes appreciated the view as she scanned him before they settled on his carefully tousled black wavy hair. 

His face was harder for her to discern, as he was looking around quickly, taking in her classroom at every angle.

He was far too well dressed to be a teacher or school administrator. Rey figured he was a parent. And he was almost certainly a dissatisfied one. There was no way that someone that important-looking would take the time to pat her on the back for a job well done or volunteer to make treats for the St. Patrick’s Day party.

He was also apparently too important to ever have attended an Open House or parent-teacher conference, because she knew there was no way she would have ever forgotten this man. Her insides squirmed simply from being in his presence, even from such a distance. Never had her body had such a visceral reaction to a man, and it just figured that he was as unavailable to her as possible.

_ Knock it off, _ she told herself sternly,  _ this is a parent, and someone’s soulmate. _

While he was distracted looking at her nameplate on the door, she allowed herself one last indulgent look at this handsome stranger before she had to break the strange magnetic pull she felt to him and he would begin yelling that she wasn’t properly preparing his son or daughter for Harvard, or whatever. 

He still hadn’t noticed her, so she stood to her full height and called out gently.

“Can I help you?”

He jumped so high he nearly smacked his head on the top of the doorframe. His eyes followed the sound of her voice and unmistakably widened when he landed on her, and he looked incapable of speech as he gaped openly at her.

It should have made her feel uncomfortable - this guy had fathered one of her students, after all - but for reasons she couldn’t understand, it made her feel warm instead.

He seemed to remember himself and coughed a little, his hand coming to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You’re Miss Niima?” He asked it like he couldn’t believe it, his eyes sweeping over her again as he spoke.

“Last time I checked,” joked Rey, hoping to break the strange tension. “If it’s changed, I’m gonna need a new pencil.” She pointed at the cute novelty wooden name plate near his head that he had been examining a moment ago.

He didn’t respond, so like an idiot, she kept on babbling.

“Good thing they’re not hard to come by,” she rambled on. “I get like three every Christmas as teacher gifts from parents who don’t seem to know that Starbucks gift cards are a thing.” Immediately, she kicked herself for forgetting that she was talking to an actual parent. “Not,” she added hastily, holding out her hand, “that I’m ungrateful. I’m just kidding.”

He stared at her and she felt like diving back under her desk. After a few seconds, he chuckled softly in a forced sort of way, like he had just realized she had been attempting a joke.

This was not the self-assured man she had been expecting to lay into her when she had first spotted him.

“What can I do for you?” she prompted again.

“Umm…” He resumed rubbing his neck. “You have BB Dameron in your class, right?”

Rey’s stomach lurched nervously. She tried to mentally catalogue the last couple emails she had sent his parents about his unruly classroom behavior.

“Yes,” she said as brightly as she could manage. “He’s a very, erm, spirited child. He’s very popular with his classmates.”

The man laughed, a little more confidently this time. “Yes, he’s definitely an attention-seeker. Takes after his dad.”

Rey wasn’t sure if that was some kind of a self-deprecating joke, because there was no way this socially awkward man ever drew attention to himself. 

She tried to think of any time she’d interacted with BB’s parents but could only picture his mother, who was memorably beautiful, because of  _ course  _ she would be.

“He loves you, though,” the man added earnestly. “Talks about you all the time.”

Rey tried not to let her surprise show too vividly. She had told BB off at least five times that very day, and it had been an exceptionally good day.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

The man nodded absently and resumed looking around the room. “This is a nice classroom.”

“Uhh, thank you?” 

“It looks happy,” he continued. 

“I like happy.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, looking anything but. He turned to the door in a jerky motion, and gripped the doorframe. “Have a nice weekend. I’m sorry I took up your time.”

Something deep inside of Rey flew to the surface, something unexplainable that simply refused to allow this strange man to leave her sight.

“Mr. Dameron!” she called. He froze before slowly turning around.

“It’s Solo,” he said.

“Pardon?”

“My name. My name is Ben Solo. I’m not BB’s dad.”

“Oh.” She was part confused, part inexplicably relieved that he had resumed talking to her.

“BB’s dad is my best friend. I’m kind of like BB’s godfather, if we were religious, I guess.”

“I see. So, what brings you here today, Mr. Solo?”

He worked his mouth in some sort of frustrated manner that somehow managed to be both adorable and sexy, and her traitorous mind quickly registered that there were no ethical violations in ogling a student’s sort-of godfather. 

“So this is kind of awkward,” he said slowly, “but BB swears that we have matching soulmarks.”

  
  
  


_ One Month Earlier _

Ben hadn’t stepped three feet into his friend Poe’s home before he was tackled to the ground by a rambunctious eight-year-old boy.

“Oof,” said Ben, pretending to be injured as he allowed his hands to be pinned above him. “You really got me good that time.” BB wore a wicked grin before Ben sat up quickly and knocked BB right over onto his own back. “But I’m still stronger!”

BB broke into peals of laughter as Ben moved from wrestling to tickling. He managed to wiggle his skinny little body out of Ben’s grip and ran to the kitchen yelling, “Daddy! Finn! Ben is here!”

Ben was still dusting off his suit when Poe’s husband Finn came into the entryway and stretched out his hand to help Ben off the floor.

“Sorry about your suit, man,” said Finn. 

“It’s no problem. It’s due for a cleaning anyway.”

“You didn’t have a chance to change before coming over?” asked Finn before leading Ben down the hall to the kitchen.

“Nah, depositions ran long.”

“We’ll get you something to wear.”

“Hey Ben,” said Poe, hands deep in pizza dough on his kitchen island. “Glad you could make it. You look like shit.”

“It’s not my fault that your kid thinks I’m his personal punching bag.”

“It kind of is,” said Poe. “You encourage him every time. He’ll never -  _ BB, stop eating the pepperonis  _ \- he’ll never stop leaping on you at every opportunity.”

“Eh, what the hell,” said Ben breezily. “I had a lot of energy at that age, too.”

“Some might have called it ‘energy;’ many others called it ‘aggression.’”

“Remind me why I still hang out with someone who knew me growing up?” Ben said, groaning.

“It’s because you hate everyone,” pointed out Poe matter-of-factly. “You only like me because we’ve been friends so long that I’m grandfathered in.”

“I do not hate everyone,” grumbled Ben.

“But everyone  _ thinks  _ you do,” said Poe. “You’ve got that -  _ BB, get off the island!  _ \- you’ve got that look -  _ No! Climb, don’t jump off!  _ \- you’ve got that look like you’re five seconds from punching the crap out of everybody in the room.”

“That’s not true,” said Finn. “He’s just shy.”

“You did not know him when he was fifteen, when he actually did punch everyone he could.”

“He doesn’t mean to be unfriendly, he’s just uncomfortable around people he doesn’t know.”

Ben coughed. “Um, still here, guys.”

The two soulmates returned to psychoanalyzing Ben to his face. 

“You gotta figure out how to be approachable,” Poe told Ben, “or else your soulmate will never even try to meet you.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “I thought I was coming for pizza and movie night, not ‘rehash lonely Ben’s unmatched status’ night.”

“So you admit that you’re lonely,” said Poe.

“All I said is that you think I’m lonely.”

“The fact that you’re spending your Friday night eating pizza with two old husbands and their school-aged son speaks volumes.”

“Don’t say ‘old,’” warned Ben. “We’re not old.”

“Yeah,” said Finn, scowling at his husband. “Who you calling old?”

“I’m just saying,” said Poe, “you’re in your thirties now. I recently read that 82% of people find their soulmates before their thirtieth birthday.”

“Thanks for that encouraging statistic, Poe,” Ben said sarcastically. “What would you have me do about it?”

“Get out there! Meet people! Your soulmate is not going to show up on your doorstep.”

“They might.” Ben crossed his arms petulantly.

“Have you been checking Marked?”

“That app makes my head hurt.”

“Worked for us,” said Finn.

Poe, who had finished rolling out the dough, called out to his now-vanished son. “BB, it’s time for toppings!”

BB ran back into the kitchen and leaped for the cheese. Poe caught him in the air one-handed. “Oh no you don’t, Little Man. You go wash your hands.”

Once the pizzas were in the oven, BB ran out of the room and Poe returned to the subject. 

“The longer you hide from looking for your soulmate, the longer they have to be lonely, too, you know. They’re gonna look elsewhere for some comfort in the meantime.”

“Like you did?”

“Yep,” said Poe, unabashed. “But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have BB, would I?”

“But how do you feel about this?” Ben asked Finn. “Does it bother you that he slept with Zorii before he met you?”

Finn shrugged from where he was cleaning the island. “Well he came with a baby so it wasn’t this big revelation. And obviously we see her all the time, so it’s best to just be cool with it. Helps that she’s matched, too.”

“Your soulmate could be with another man right now,” goaded Poe. “She could be making a baby right this very minute.”

“Go fu-”

“I know about soulmates!” BB’s chipper voice made all their heads snap to the hallway and Ben’s mouth clamp shut.

“Uh, how long has he been listening?” whispered Poe.

“We learned about soulmates in school today!” continued BB.

“I specifically asked you what you learned on the drive home and you said ‘nothing,’” chided Poe. 

“We asked Miss Niima if she had met her soulmate and she said ‘no.’ Ben, do you have a soulmate?”

“Uh, nope,” Ben told BB, before turning to his friends. “I’m feeling a bit ambushed tonight.”

“So that means you still have a soulmark!” cried BB happily. “Can I see it?”

“Brody Benjamin!” scolded Poe. “We do not ask grown-ups to see their soulmarks.”

“But Miss Niima showed us hers!”

“What kind of school do you send him to?” Ben asked Poe, who shrugged.

“Miss Niima’s was on her shoulder,” BB chattered on.

“Hey, that’s where yours is, too,” said Poe, like it was this incredible coincidence.

It wasn’t. “That’s where a lot of people’s are.”

“Daddy and Finn? Where were yours?”

“Back of our necks,” said Poe, as Finn pointed to his.

“And where were Mommy and Babu’s?”

“Uh, I think they were on their wrists.”

“So maybe Ben and Miss Niima are soulmates!” cried BB.

Ben laughed awkwardly. “Uh, buddy, there are a lot of people out there. The chances of that are very low.”

“She’s really pretty,” insisted BB.

“She is,” agreed Poe. Finn and Ben both side-eyed him, and he held up his hands defensively. “What? I’m not blind.”

“All right, creep,” said Ben.

“Well, it’s not like I  _ told _ her that.”

“Ben, you have to show me your soulmark!” said BB, now jumping up and down. 

“BB! I literally just told you that you can’t ask to see grown-ups’ soulmarks!”

“It’s fine,” said Ben, unbuttoning his shirt. “He’s seen it plenty of times when we swim; he just didn’t care at the time. He’ll see it next time we swim, too. Might as well get it over with.”

“You have to tell him ‘no’ sometimes, Ben,” said Poe. “Your enabling him is one of the reasons I’ve gotten like ten emails from your maybe-soulmate this school year.”

“Oh no,” said Ben, waggling his finger. “Saying no is your job. This is my namesake we’re talking about. I’m the funcle.”

“The what?”

“Fun uncle. I saw it online. It’s a thing.”

Ben pulled off his now-open shirt and slid up the sleeve of his undershirt. 

“There.” He crouched in front of BB, displaying the series of symbols. “That’s it.” He stood back up and addressed Poe. “Have you checked on the pizzas?”

BB jumped up and yanked Ben’s arm back down.

“THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE MISS NIIMA’S!” 

Ben, Poe, and Finn froze before all speaking at once. 

“There’s no way-”

“How could he-”

“He only thinks-”

“It’s the same one! It’s the same one!” BB jumped up and down with every exclamation. “Miss Niima is your soulmate!”

“Slow down, Little Man,” said Ben, scooping up the frantic boy and tossing him over his shoulder. “A lot of soulmarks look similar.”

“It’s the same!” BB banged his fists against Ben’s back. “It had that little wiggly line!”

“That’s pretty specific,” said Finn.

“I doubt he got that great a look at either soulmark,” said Ben, setting BB back down.

“It had those dots! It had that wiggly line!” BB said again, pointing at Ben’s still-exposed shoulder.

“Maybe he’s right,” said Poe. “I mean, why not?”

Ben frowned at him. “That’s just you wishful thinking.”

“And you’re not?”

“Why would I want to get my hopes up over the most unreliable source possible?” Ben glanced at BB, and lowered his voice. “He’s been interested in soulmarks for one day total, and has seen two. Of course he thinks they match.”

“You’re not the teeniest bit curious?”

“No.” 

Poe smirked at him. “You’re a liar.”

“Even if I were, what would I do about it? Waltz in during science class and demand to see her mark?”

“Why not?”

Ben scoffed. “You’re an idiot.”

“And  _ you’re _ single.”

Ben was saved from having to respond by the oven timer going off and BB’s excited shrieks of “ _ Pizza _ !” filling the room. 

Later, Ben settled into Poe’s sectional couch wearing a pair of Finn’s basketball shorts, way too full of Poe’s famous homemade pizza.

“So what are we watching?” he asked.

“ _ Lord of the Rings!”  _ cried BB.

Ben’s face must have shown its surprise, because Poe explained, “He heard about it from one of his classmates, so we told him we’d try the first movie. And then my  _ darling  _ husband had to insist that the only ‘proper way’ to watch was the extended edition. So settle in for the next -” He flipped the DVD case over - “228 minutes.”

“There is no way BB will have the attention span for this,” said Ben, ducking to avoid BB leaping from the top of the couch.

“I’m hoping he’ll fall asleep,” said Poe under his breath.

“When has that ever worked for you?”

“Maybe he’ll actually like it,” said Finn.

“Finn is hoping we have the newest Tolkien fan on our hands,” said Poe.

“Of course I am. Seven years of me asking to watch these movies together and it took BB bringing it up to get you to agree. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to have an ally.”

BB popped the DVD into the Xbox and sat right in front of the TV.

“BB, move. No one can see.”

“Why is the TV black?” BB whined. “I can’t see anything. I can’t hear it! Daddy, turn it up!”

“You’ve got to be quiet and listen,” barked Finn. “This is important.”

Poe scooched closer to Ben on the couch and muttered in his ear. “Your soulmate is off making babies with someone else right now and you’re doing this.”

\--

Ben would never admit it to Poe, but the first couple days after their movie night, he couldn’t get the idea of BB’s teacher out of his mind. It was completely silly to put stock in the word of an eight-year-old, but the nagging sensation of  _ what if _ plagued him.

As weeks passed, though, Ben convinced himself that this Miss Niima wasn’t worth pursuing, that it would be another dead-end in his depressing search for his soulmate.

Poe wasn’t wrong that Ben didn’t make a lot of effort to find his soulmate. He barely ever logged onto Marked, and he avoided social gatherings as much as possible. 

But it didn’t mean that he didn’t want to meet them. He imagined what it might be like to have this mystery person in his life, to have someone to greet him when he came home, to hold late at night, to laugh with. Most of the time he was able to keep those painful thoughts at bay, burying himself in his work and collapsing into bed at night, too tired to dwell on his loneliness.

One evening, he came home late, a far too frequent occurrence. He tossed his keys on the table, loosened his tie, and had just sunk onto his couch when his phone buzzed with a call from Poe.

Ben really wasn’t in the mood to chat, but Poe had tried to call him three times that week. He swiped to answer. “Hey.”

“Hey, man, haven’t heard from you in a while. How have you been?”

“Busy. My case has really ramped up. I’m pretty swamped.”

“Too busy to stop by a certain third-grade classroom?”

Ben sighed heavily. “So this is why you chose to call me instead of texting like a normal person?”

“What else can I do? You’ve ignored all my texts about it.”

“That’s because it’s not worth pursuing. I’m not going to creep out some poor teacher because of your kid’s hunch.”

“He’s brought it up a bunch of times since that night. He can recall the design like, perfectly. Zorii told me he talks about it at her house, too.”

“I’m sorry, Poe, but we’re talking about a kid who writes his letters backwards half the time.”

“No, he doesn’t!” defended the proud papa. “Okay, maybe he still does sometimes, but it’s getting better. Probably thanks to the excellent tutelage of a certain cute brunette.”

A thought struck Ben. “He hasn’t mentioned this to her, has he?”

“I told him that the bond will break if he tells her. But he hasn’t dropped the subject at home, so the lie will only work for so long. He’s a ticking time bomb.”

Ben didn’t respond, so Poe went on. “What would be the harm if he told her? Maybe she’d actually be gutsy enough to do something about it.”

“Or maybe she’s heard all about the time he met a komodo dragon in the backyard and knows he’s not exactly the most reliable source.”

“I quite liked that story,” said Poe, chuckling. “He stuck to his guns on that one for like six months.”

Ben laughed too. “You’ve got quite a kid, Poe.”

“BB’s tall tales aside,” said Poe, “there is some reason to at least suspect she could be your soulmate. Are you really going to let the opportunity just fade away?”

“I don’t want to bother her…”

“Why would it bother her? It would take two minutes of her time. Just compare marks, and if they don’t match, both of you move on. Worst case scenario, you’re slightly embarrassed, best case scenario, you find the love of your life.”

“Maybe  _ you’d _ only be slightly embarrassed.”

“People ask to see marks all the time, Ben.”

“Not me.”

“And that’s why you’re unmatched! Grow a pair and ask her!”

Ben rubbed his face in frustration. “And if I don’t?”

“Then I will. Parent-teacher conferences are coming up. Don’t think I won’t.”

Ben could imagine Poe’s smug expression. It seemed the exact thing Poe would do, and he wouldn’t go about it with any chill. Ben shuddered to think of the things Poe might say, the pressure he could put on this poor, mysterious stranger.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“When?” Poe pressed.

“Uh…” Ben thought through his upcoming week’s schedule. “What time does his school let out?”

“3:35.”

“All right,” said Ben. “I’ll stop by after school on Friday.”

“And I will be anxiously awaiting your report. How about you-”

“Bye, Poe.”

\--

Poe wasn’t about to let Ben off the hook. He texted Ben reminders every day until Friday, when he sent that gif of Judge Judy tapping her watch impatiently. Ben rolled his eyes, texted “I’m trying,” and attempted to wrap up his work to leave the office early.

It was already four by the time Ben could get out the door. Google Maps told him that Chandrila Elementary was sixteen minutes away. Most likely Miss Niima had already left for the day, but Ben figured he could swing by the school and at least tell Poe he had tried.

Once he parked in the visitors’ section of the nearly-deserted lot, he was surprised to find the school’s main doors still open. The school secretary let him in, and gave him instructions to find Miss Niima’s classroom.

“It’s very likely that she’s gone home for the day,” said the kindly older lady.

“Yeah, I know. Thanks,” said Ben, heading for the southwest wing. He had been to the school to attend BB’s kindergarten graduation or some other such nonsense, but had never gone this far into the hallways. He admired the brightly decorated bulletin boards and doors. It looked like he remembered from his own childhood and it cheered him to think of BB spending his days here.

Finally, he found the room number he was looking for. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the doorway and peered around the empty room. She wasn’t there. His stomach bottomed out, but whether it was with relief or disappointment, he wasn’t sure.

He looked around the room. BB’s classroom was cheery and welcoming. He could tell just from looking that the teacher clearly cared a lot about her students and fostered a fun, friendly environment. 

He felt wistful in a way he hadn’t expected, now certain that he was disappointed that he hadn’t gotten the chance to meet this woman, soulmate or no. There was something about her room that drew him in and invited him to linger.

There was no point in staying, and yet, for some reason, he didn’t want to leave.

“Can I help you?”

A woman’s voice startled him out of his rumination, making him jump.

When he saw the owner of the voice across the room, his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

A young brunette woman stood behind a desk. Her hair was tied up, but curly tendrils framed her face, likely having fallen during a long day of wrangling children. She wore a heather grey Chandrila Elementary Fun Run t-shirt, skinny jeans, and a lanyard that indicated she worked at the school.

She was beautiful from head to toe.

This couldn’t be her. There was no way this lovely woman was the one the universe had picked for him. He couldn’t be that lucky.

He was wrong to have come, to have even seen her, to send his hopes straight through the checkered tile ceiling and face the disappointment that was bound to come.

In the meantime, though, she was standing expectantly, prompting him with her wide, friendly eyes, waiting for him to say something.

_ Words, Benjamin, _ he thought.  _ You know lots of them. Use some. _

“You’re Miss Niima?”

That was the best he could seem to do, and he inwardly cringed. As embarrassed as he was, though, he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her, to sweep over her every feature, memorizing her for when their moment would be lost and they would each go their separate ways.

Something in his mind registered that she was speaking to him, something about a joke. He had no idea what, but forced a laugh.

He was pathetic.

She asked again what he wanted, and he managed to produce an actual sentence. Talking about BB was easy terrain, helping him act like a normal human being.

They fell silent again, and Ben needed to say something, anything. His brain was telling him to get the hell out of there with some semblance of his dignity intact, but his heart was begging him to stay, to do anything it took to extend their interaction.

“This is a nice classroom.”

She looked incredibly confused, and they struggled through a small exchange while Ben simultaneously fought an inward battle with himself. He needed to go. He couldn’t ask her about her mark. He’d just have to tell Poe they weren’t a match. 

It was inevitable, anyway.

He mumbled his apologies and turned to leave.

“Mr. Dameron!”

Her voice called out. It was sharp sounding, desperate, like she was begging him to stay. He stopped. This, at least, he could clear up.

“It’s Solo,” he said.

“Pardon?”

“My name. My name is Ben Solo. I’m not BB’s dad.”

“Oh.” 

“BB’s dad is my best friend,” he explained. “I’m kind of like BB’s godfather, if we were religious, I guess.”

“I see.” She smiled, and his heart clenched again. “So, what brings you here today, Mr. Solo?”

This was it. It was now or never. He knew he should go with his gut and leave this stunning woman to live her life, but Poe’s words echoed in his mind. 

_ Worst case scenario, you’re slightly embarrassed, best case scenario, you find the love of your life. _

He had already irreversibly mucked up this encounter, so the damage was good and done already. 

And if she was his? 

It wouldn’t just be a ‘best case scenario.’

It would be a miracle.

“So this is kind of awkward,” he said, his heart beating out of his chest, “but BB swears that we have matching soulmarks.”

Time seemed to freeze as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” he rambled on, unable and unwilling to interpret her silence. “You know how BB is. He’s, uh, tenacious. And he gets it from his dad. They haven’t let the topic drop in weeks and I’m certain they never will so I promised I would just ask you. Once we determine that they’re not the same, I can get him off my case and you can forget I ever came _. _ ”

He was practically panting by the end of his speech, his heart stampeding like a racehorse and making it difficult to take proper breaths.

Her jaw was slightly ajar, and her rapidly rising and falling chest indicated that she was fighting a similar battle.

“I really,” he gasped before repeating with more strength, “I really don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. I’m so sorry I even came; this is ridiculous.”

He tried to make another escape.

“Wait!”

Unable to deny her a single thing, he turned back. He met her pleading eyes and followed their silent command to come closer. With every step, he felt her presence with a physical sensation he wouldn’t have believed possible fifteen minutes before.

“Don’t be afraid,” she whispered as she came out from behind her desk. “I feel it, too.”

Like someone had tossed a line between the two of them and was slowly reeling it back in with a slow, even pace, they moved towards the center of the classroom, to each other.

His shoulder had come alive with a pleasant burn, like he had exercised it hard the day before, and he tried to ignore the sensation.

If her mark didn’t match, he didn’t think he could stand the devastation.

When they stood a few paces away, she stopped, and he followed suit. Without taking her eyes off his face, she wordlessly slid her hand up her opposite arm and scrunched up her t-shirt sleeve.

There it was. The mark he had seen on his own arm ever since he grew his first stubble. He had long imagined what it might look like on a smaller, more delicate woman’s arm, but nothing could prepare him for the actual sight.

The symbols upon her skin began to bleed together as his vision blurred with tears

She scratched her shoulder before stepping up to him and placing a hand gently on his chest.

“I think,” she said in a low voice, “this is when you show me yours.”

He slid off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. This was nothing like showing BB his mark; this was sensual, erotic. Her eyes took in every movement he made, hungrily, like she ached to do it for him.

How he longed to let her.

But it wasn’t the moment. They needed to confirm what they both already knew, the truth that was hovering between their tear-soaked eyes.

He relieved himself of his shirt and draped it over his coat on a nearby desk. She rubbed her shoulder again, feverishly.

When he straightened, she reached out for his arm, before pulling her hand back and looking at him for approval. He nodded, and she carefully pushed up his t-shirt sleeve. When she exposed the matching mark, her face broke into a radiant smile, lighting him up from every corner of his body.

Before him lay the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen, and yet it was the most natural thing to draw her into his arms and lower his forehead against hers.

She breathed in deeply, before nuzzling in closer, and the world faded away. 

There was only them. 

He could die in this moment and his life would be complete.

He stroked her shoulder, and she gasped.

“It stopped aching,” she said. “Here.” She slid her hand under his t-shirt sleeve and swiped across his mark as though she were erasing her chalkboard, and he shuddered in relief. If his mark had been building its burn as she approached him from across the room, it had swelled like a crescendo while he held her in his arms. The pain had grown to a fever pitch until it disappeared when she touched his mark, making him feel like everything had snapped into place, like his body and soul had both healed from a lifelong affliction.

“Do you think the marks are gone?” she whispered, and he nodded against her forehead. They probably were, but he didn’t want to take any time to check. He didn’t care. He had her, and his whole soul screamed to not let her go for even a second.

Tears ran down her cheeks, and he lifted his thumbs to wipe them away. She smiled softly under his ministrations, before resting her head against his chest. 

They stayed in that position, her snuggled against him, his arms tight around her, until a small cough made them jump apart.

The custodian stood in the doorway to the classroom, pushing a cleaning supplies cart and looking thoroughly embarrassed.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the man said, eyes darting between the two of them.

“No, no, we’re sorry,” she said, laughing and waving her hand around. “We got carried away. But, uh, could you give us a second? Just, like, two minutes, I promise.”

He nodded and stepped respectfully into the hallway, leaving the room silent for a moment.

“So, um, that happened,” she finally said.

Ben huffed a laugh. “Yep.”

“What now?” she asked. “I’ve always heard stories about people meeting their soulmate, but they never say what they do next.”

Ben reached out for her hand, already needing her back in his space. “I don’t know. I didn’t actually think we’d get to this point.”

She smiled. “ _ BB _ ,” she said disbelievingly, shaking her head. “I’d’ve never guessed he’d be the one to find my soulmate. I can’t believe he was even paying attention when I showed the kids my mark.”

“I’m glad he did.”

“Me too.”

They grinned at each other until Ben remembered the poor custodian who was probably anxious to get to his weekend.

“I think we could start with a date,” he said. “Tonight?”

She bobbed her head in agreement. “Yes, yes, please.” She looked down at herself. “But can I go home and shower? Friday afternoon is not my best look. I could be ready by seven?”

He thought she looked perfect, and wasn’t crazy about having to part so soon, but agreed.

“I’ll pick you up at seven then,” he said, and she squeezed his hand.

“Sounds perfect.”

A thought suddenly hit him. “I, uh, I just realized I don’t know your name.”

It seemed like such an odd oversight when he felt like he already knew her soul at its deepest level. He wanted to know everything about her and couldn’t wait for their evening to begin so he could dive into his study.

She laughed. “Are you saying you don’t want to call me Miss Niima for the rest of our lives?”

Ben’s brain nearly collapsed under her implication, but he managed to chuckle back and shake his head.

“It’s Rey,” she said.

He pulled her back in and rubbed their noses gently. “It’s good to meet you, Rey. My name is Ben.”

“You told me that already,” she said, her voice breathy.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, Ben.” 

There was hardly a centimeter between their lips. He longed to close the gap, but pulled back reluctantly.

“I think the custodian might file a complaint to the union,” he said.

She giggled. “I think you’re right.”

He helped her gather her things, put his shirt and coat back on, and left the school with her, hand in hand.

In the parking lot, they passed by a couple of teachers taking advantage of the unusually warm afternoon, leaning against a fence and chatting. One of them, a petite, dark-haired woman, noticed them and snapped to attention. She jerked her head in Ben’s direction with a questioning expression, and out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw Rey grin widely and nod.

The teacher cheered and clapped her hands, and Ben’s heart soared.

Ben settled Rey into her car before reluctantly releasing her hand. They exchanged numbers so she could text him her address, and he shut her car door as she gave him one last smile through the glass. 

He made his way to his car slowly, missing her already, wondering how he’d make it to seven without jumping out of his skin, when he heard her call out behind him.

He turned around, and she ran and flung himself into his arms. He caught her, and she immediately rose to her toes and sealed her lips to his. 

It was everything he could have ever dreamed of, and more. A rush of emotions filled him, and he pulled her close, desperately moving his lips over hers in a way that had no place on any elementary school grounds.

Eventually, she tore her kiss-swollen lips away from him. “I can be ready at six,” she said breathily, before running back to her car.

Somewhat dizzy, Ben managed to find his car and climbed in. He let his head fall against the headrest.

Once he was capable of any normal thought, he pulled out his phone to shoot off a text to Poe.

_ Yes, we matched. _

Poe’s typing bubble immediately appeared, so Ben rapidly shot off a follow-up.

_ No, I will not be giving any more information at this time. _

_ And thanks. _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! And a BIG thank you and hug to every teacher who may be here. As a mother, I love and appreciate you at any time, but especially now. This story is for you.


End file.
